GB2161996A

GB2161996A - Bipartite electrical connector with sealing means

Info

Publication number: GB2161996A
Application number: GB08513432A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Norman Mitchener
Original assignee: AMP Inc
Current assignee: TE Connectivity Corp
Priority date: 1984-07-18
Filing date: 1985-05-28
Publication date: 1986-01-22
Also published as: GB8418329D0; GB2161996B; GB8513432D0

Abstract

The connector comprises a male housing part (2) with socket terminals (14) and a female housing part (4) with pin terminals (40). A sealing ring (12) fits loosely in a groove (6) in the male part. As the two parts (2 and 4) are being mated, the ring (12) is engaged by a shoulder (34) in the female part (4) forcing the ring (12) to roll over a lip (10) on the male part (2) so as to draw the male and female parts (2 and 4) together with a snap action. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bipartite electrical connector with sealing means This invention relates to a bipartite electrical connector comprising a male part accommodating a first electrical terminal and a female part accommodating a second electrical terminal, the parts being matable to mate the terminals thereof.

In some environments, for example where such a connector is to be mounted beneath the body of an automobile, it is necessary that, when mated, the housing parts should be sealed against the ingress of moisture. It is also desirable that the parts should be positively retained in their fully mated position and that an indication should be provided to the operator as to when the parts of the connector have been sufficiently engaged to achieve full mating.

According to one aspect of the invention, a bipartite electrical connector comprises a male housing part accommodating a first electrical terminal and a female housing part accommodating a second electrical terminal, the parts being matable so as to mate the terminals thereof, a leading and a trailing groove extending about the male part being separated from one another by a lip, the leading groove loosely locating a resilient annular sealing member which protrudes from the leading groove, a shoulder in the female housing part being positioned to engage the sealing member as the parts are being mated, thereby to force the sealing member to roll over the lip, so as to draw the housing parts together, to snap over into the trailing groove as the terminals mate with one another, and to be compressed between the mated housing parts.

The compressed sealing member serves as a seal against the ingress of moisture between the housing parts and the snap over of the sealing member indicates to the operator that the housing parts, and thus the terminals, will be fully mated.

Preferably, the wall of the trailing groove is formed as a ramp which increases in height up to the lip, so as to facilitate the return of the sealing member to its initial position as the housing parts are being unmated when the connection between the terminals is to be broken.

The sealing member may be cut from sheet material, for example, of a natural or a synthetic rubber or may be moulded from such a rubber. The sealing member has an inherent memory of its initial form, to which it will always return as the housing parts are disengaged from one another.

The forces required to mate and to unmate the housing parts, to suit individual applications, can be predetermined by suitably choosing the dimensions of those parts of the connector which engage the sealing member, in relation to the cross-sectional dimensions and hardness of the sealing member.

The sealing member is preferably of substantially square cross-sectional shape and, if it is of such shape, is rolled over by 90 as the parts are mated. However, the sealing member may for example be of a elongate rectangular, circular, triangular, or oval, crosssectional shape and may be rolled over by 360 . In any event, the moulding tolerances for the sealing member are desirably low.

For exact alignment of the housing parts during mating, portions of the male housing part, on either side of the sealing member may be a running fit with corresponding portions of the female housing part.

According to another aspect of the invention, a bipartite electrical connector comprises circular cross-section male and female insulating housing parts accommodating first and second electrical terminals, respectively, and being matable so as to mate the terminals of the two parts, the male housing part having a leading end portion in which is formed a first peripheral groove, a second peripheral groove spaced back from the first peripheral groove being defined by a frusto-conical portion of the male housing part and a radial shoulder thereon, the frustoconical portion taping away from the first groove and providing one wall thereof, a sealing ring of rectangular, e.g.

square, cross-section being loosely located in the first peripheral groove, the female housing part having a cavity for receiving the male housing part, the cavity having a radial shoulder therein for engaging the sealing ring as the male housing part is inserted into the female housing part, to roll the sealing ring over the larger end of the frusto-conical portion, and thus into the second groove, with a snap action, the housing parts being so dimensioned that the sealing ring thereby draws the housing parts towards their fully mated position and is compressed between the mated housing parts.

The housing parts may be of circular, or of any other suitable cross-sectional shape.

For a better understanding of the invention, an embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a bipartite electrical connector with sealing means; FIGURE 2 is an elevational view, shown partly in axial section, of the two parts of the connector aligned with one another prior to being mated; FIGURE 3 is a similar view to that of Figure 2, but showing the parts in a half-mated condition; and FIGURE 4 is a similar view to those of Figures 2 and 3, but showing the parts in a fully mated condition.

The connector comprises an insulating male housing part 2, and an insuiating female housing part 4, which are both of circular cross-section.

A leading groove 6 extends about the part 2 near its the leading end, that is to say the end which is to be inserted into the female housing part 4, a trailing groove 8 also extending about the housing part 2, at a position back from the groove 6, the grooves 6 and 8 being separated from one another by a iip 10 also extending about the housing part 2. A resilient annular sealing member 1 2 is located loosely in the groove 6 and protrudes therefrom, about the periphery of the part 2, the member 12, being in this example, of substantially square cross-sectional shape. Accommodated within the housing part 2, are pin receptacle terminals 14 which have been crimped to wires 1 6 which extend into the housing part 2 through bung seals 1 8.

The part 2 has a leading end portion 20 which provides one wall of the groove 6 and a trailing end portion 22 provided with a polarizing key 24. Intermediate the groove 6 and the portion 22, the part 2 has a frustoconical portion 26 which provides the other wall of the groove 6 and tapers away therefrom and also provides the lip 10, and one wall of the groove 8, the other wall of which is provided by a collar 27 adjacent to the portion 22. The female housing part 4, has a cavity 28 for receiving the male part 2, the cavity 28 having an enlarged cross-section portion 30 for accommodating the portion 22 of the male housing part 2, a reduced crosssection portion 32 for receiving the portion 26 of the housing part 2 and a further reduced cross-section portion 36 for receiving the portion 20 of the part 2, an annular shoulder 34 defining the portion 32.An inclined annular shoulder 38 is provided between the portions 32 and 36 of the cavity 28, the cross-sectional area of the housing part 4 thereby tapering away from the shoulder 34.

Pin terminal's 40 crimped to wires 42, project into the portion 36 of the cavity 28 for mating with the terminals 14 of the housing part 2. The wires 42 enter the housing part 4 through bung seals 44. The portion 30 of the cavity 28 communicates with a polarizing groove 46.

The portion 22 is a running fit with the portion 30, the portion 20 being a running fit with the portion 36. The major diameter of the portion 26 is, however, substantially less than the internal diameter of the shoulder 32.

For mating, the housing parts 2 and 4 are axially aligned as shown in Figure 2, with the polarizing rib 24 in precise alignment with the polarizing groove 46. As the parts 2 and 4 are being mated, the portion 20 of the part 2 enters the cavity portion 36 of the part 4, as shown in Figure 3, the portion 22 of the part 2 entering the portion 30 of the cavity 28, whereby the parts 2 and 4 are securely located with respect to one another. The shoulder 34 engages the sealing member 1 2 as shown in Figure 3 so that the sealing member 1 2 will start to be rolled over the lip 10 through 90 to the enter the groove 8 with a snap over action. At this stage, the pin terminals 40 begin to engage in the receptacle terminals 14.However, if the mating forces were relieved, then the terminals 40 would cease to engage the terminals 1 4. As the sealing member 1 2 is rolled over, it creates a "pull home" force, urging parts 2 and 4 towards their fully mated relationship because of the constraining effect of the shoulder 34 and the enlarged effective diameter of the frusto-conical portion 26 at its lip 10.

Figure 4 shows the parts 2 and 4 in their fully mated condition, in which the sealing member 1 2 has been rotated through 90 after having snapped over the lip 10 into the groove 8. In this position of the parts, the sealing member 12, which has been expanded by the portion 26, is simultaneously compressed between the housing parts 2 and 4, that is to say between the portion 26 and the shoulder 34, and is confined by the shoulder 38 and collar 27. The pin terminals 40 are now fully received in the receptacle terminals 14. The parts 2 and 4 can be unmated by pulling them apart. The mating and the unmating forces can be predetermined by appropriately dimensioning the portions of the housing parts between which the sealing member 1 2 is compressed, in relation to the dimensions and hardness of the sealing member. Since that wall of the groove 8 which is provided by the frusto-conical portion 26, increases in height up to the lip 10, the return of the member 1 2 to its initial position as the parts 2 and 4 are unmated, is facilitated.

During mating the snapping of the sealing member 12, over the lip 10, indicates to the operator, that the parts 2 and 4 will be appropriately mated, since from that time, the parts 2 and 4 will be drawn together by the action of the sealing member 1 2.

Claims

1. A bipartite electrical connector, comprising a male part accommodating a first electrical terminal and a female part accommodating a second electrical terminal, the parts being matable to mate the terminals thereof, a leading and a trailing groove extending about the male part being separated from one another by a lip, the leading groove loosely locating a resilient annular sealing member which protrudes from the leading groove, a shoulder in the female part being positioned-to engage the sealing member as the parts are being mated, thereby to force the sealing member to roll over the lip so as to draw the housing parts together, to snap over into the trailing groove as the terminals mate with one another and to be compressed between the mated housing parts.

2. A connector according to claim 1, in which the sealing member, which is moulded or has been cut out from sheet material, has an inherent memory of its moulded form to which it always returns.

3. A connector according to claim 1 or 2, in which one wall of the trailing groove, is formed as a ramp which progressively increases in height up to the lip.

4. A connector as claimed in claim 1, 2, or 3, in which the sealing member is of substantially rectangular, e.g. square, cross-section and is rolled over by 90 as the parts are mated.

5. A connector according to anyone of the preceding claims, in which portions of the male housing parts, on either side of the sealing member, are a running fit with corresponding portions of the female housing part.

6. A connector according to anyone of the preceding claims, in which a second shoulder is formed in the female part, between the first mentioned shoulder and the terminals of the female part.

7. A bipartite electrical connector comprising circular cross-section male and female insulating housing parts accommodating first and second electrical terminals, respectively, and being matable so as to mate the terminals of the two parts, the male housing part having a leading end portion in which is formed a first peripheral groove, a second peripheral groove spaced back from the first peripheral groove being defined by a frusto-conical portion of the male housing part, and a radial shoulder thereon, the frusto -conical portion taping away from the first groove and providing one wall thereof, a sealing ring of rectangular, e.g. square, cross-section being loosely located in the first peripheral groove, the female housing part having a cavity for receiving the male housing part, the cavity having a radial shoulder therein for engaging the sealing ring as the male housing part is inserted into the female housing part, to roll the sealing ring over the larger end of the frustoconical portion and thus into the second groove, with a snap action, the housing parts being so dimensioned that the sealing ring thereby draws the housing parts towards their fully mated position and is compressed between the mated housing parts.

8. A bipartite electrical connector, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.